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Mother’s Day may be different this year, but you can still celebrate with your loved ones, near or far without it costing the earth.

Instead you can show your love and appreciation for the special women in your life with virtual meetups and eco-friendly gifts.

Lockdown doesn’t have to be a roadblock!

Thanks to our closest ally, the internet, we can connect to the mother’s in our lives despite social distancing. Check out the below ideas for celebrating on some of your favorite apps:

TIKTOK - The ideal platform for making a personalised video.

Why not sing along to the Spice Girls’ hit Mama, or travel down memory lane recreating some of your mother’s best looks from decades gone by.

ZOOM – Not just for conference calls.

There’s no better platform for learning right now – with the opportunity to join in on art, yoga and cooking classes. Why not sign up for one together and see who can reproduce “Mother’s Embrace” the best.

HOUSE PARTY - Celebrate with the women in your life into the night.

Get together with your girlfriends and gossip over a gin and tonic or plan ahead and stock up on the same wines to run your own wine tasting session.

TWITTER – Spread the love.

Guaranteed to lift spirits, take to the skies and send messages of gratitude to all the mother’s working on the front line of this pandemic.

PEANUT – The mom matching app.

There’s no time like quarantine to get online and make new mom friends. Here you can chat with other moms during this new childcare challenge.

Still want to send a token of gratitude?

You can support local small businesses and USPS at the same time as giving thanks.

SHOP LOCAL – Many businesses are now bringing their services to you.

Why not have you mom’s favorite wine, or a hamper of deli delights, delivered to her doorstep.

SHOP SMALL – Check out your local artists.

For personalised gifts, like handmade cards or crafts contact your local main street stores, explore online markets or contact your local college or galleries.

SHOP SUSTAINABLE – Keep your footprint low.

Your loved ones may be far away, but you can still gift consciously. Look for Made in the USA products, organic or recycled materials or brands giving back.

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https://teddylocks.com/blogs/story/coronavirus-and-the-planet2020-03-24T17:09:00-04:002020-03-24T17:10:59-04:00Coronavirus and the PlanetSamantha TollworthyThis deadly virus may be having a profound impact on all aspects of life, including ours at Teddy Locks. But we exist to help fight the global climate and waste crises and we are not giving up. Because although socks are not a priority right now, we believe that the health of our planet will be a priority in due course.

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Planes are grounded, roads are empty, and businesses are shutting up shop. The world is slowing down and our footprint on this earth is temporarily lightening.

Right now, there are travel bans in place across the globe. In Europe all non-essential travel is suspended for 30 days, while individual countries are also enforcing their own restrictions. For example, Albania and Slovenia have suspended all flights, while Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark and Spain are all banning entry to UK travellers. Suffering badly from the COVID-19 virus, flights originating from China and Italy are being denied entry by most nations.

Governments are also advising people to work from home, and many firms are closing offices and retail stores. Consequently, there are far fewer people commuting – meaning fewer cars on the roads and less public transport running. The advice is changing rapidly but what is clear – is that there is less movement.

But what does this mean for the planet?

It is estimated that by the end of the year there will be 38% fewer flights across the globe - by mid-February alone more than 200,000 flights had been cancelled. Consequently there is reduced aviation emissions. Previously accounting for 2.5% of global carbon emissions, the outbreak is predicted to cause a drop in 2020 aviation emissions by several hundred million tonnes.

But emissions are also declining in manufacturing industries. Two weeks of lockdown in China resulted in a 25% reduction in energy use and emissions predominantly created by industrial production. While Bangladesh garment factories have reportedly lost close to $1.5billion in order cancelations forcing them to slow down production.

Satellite imagery of cities and industrial clusters in Asia and Europe comparing levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) from previous readings to current levels are also good indicators that greenhouse gas emissions across the globe are declining.

However, the true impact on global emissions from this standstill will only be clear once we are out the other side and have analysed all of the data. But it is incredibly unlikely to be enough to reverse global warming, or even avoid the 1C temperature increase that is projected to cause irreversible damage.

What we do know right now though is that although emissions may be temporarily declining illegal logging, deforestation, and plastic pollution are continuing. And with the eyes of enforcers focused on the global pandemic there is unlikely to be funding or attention directed towards protecting the environment. In fact, many organisations fear that the low impact movement will stall as individuals concentrate their energy on health and community causes.

This deadly virus may be having a profound impact on all aspects of life, including ours at Teddy Locks. But we exist to help fight the global climate and waste crises and we are not giving up. Because although socks are not a priority right now, we believe that the health of our planet will be a priority in due course.

To reduce the impact fashion is having on our planet the industry needs to make huge shifts in the way our clothes are made and what they are made from.

Thankfully though, there are many small businesses and growing brands working hard to provide consumers with alternative, more considered options. Clothing that has a lower impact, and socks that help reduce your footprint.

To help these conscious collections stand out from the fast-fashion juggernauts new ‘green’ terms are being used – like eco-friendly and sustainable.

But what do these terms mean?

Being either ‘eco-friendly’ or ‘sustainable’ is not something that is certifiable – there is no equivalent of a Fair Trade or Organic stamp that can be used to confirm a company’s statements. But used appropriately these terms can help inform consumers about a brand’s practices and values.

A product that is truly eco-friendly has been designed to do the least possible damage to the environment. Some or all of the materials and methods used to make it have a lower impact on the planet than other available options. For example, they may be truly biodegradable or require less energy to produce compared to a like for like item – consider, a plastic toothbrush vs a bamboo toothbrush, or a cotton shirt vs an organic cotton t-shirt.

But being sustainable goes beyond that. Sustainable brands should recognise their social, ethical and environmental responsibilities. They must analyse the entire lifecycle of the product and how it is handled, and not just how it is designed and made. They should minimise their impact on the environment – ensuring efficient and careful use of natural resources and implementing repair, reuse and recycling schemes. But they should also be improving working conditions and informing consumers of how best to care for their products to ensure a long lifespan.

To determine whether a company is truly sustainable you may want to ask - were the best available practices used at each stage of production? Was it shipped in recycled or reusable packaging? Does it have longevity? Can it be repurposed? Were workers paid fairly and their work environments safe?

At Teddy Locks we are making decisions based on the best options available to us at this time.

The very first decision we made when developing Teddy Locks was where our socks were going to be produced. There are factories across the globe that are working to incredibly high standards – but they are not necessarily within reach of a yarn supplier or dye house or finisher. Some supply chains require fiber from Europe to be spun in Asia and then sent back to Europe to be knit. But we wanted Teddy Locks socks to have a low carbon footprint from the get-go.

So, after months of research and meetings our Teddy Locks supply chain was finalised - our socks would be made in North Carolina, USA. This decision means that our fibers are blended and spun in to yarn in NC, dyed in NC, before being knit in to our socks and finished in NC – so that from source to sock Teddy Locks socks travel less than 250miles during production.

On top of the benefits of lower shipping emissions, having our entire supply chain in North Carolina also means that we can visit the facilities and meet the people working there. This allows us to better monitor the well-being of the staff and the efficiency of the facilities, while being transparent about where our materials come from and supporting US manufacturing.

Each of our suppliers has been chosen based on their existing strengths. Our spinning mill, dye-house, knitting mill and finisher are all family run, local businesses, we know many of the team members personally and see the efforts they go to in running efficient and conscious operations. What’s more, they make decisions that while being economically beneficial ultimately benefit the environment – for example they reuse shipping crates, only run machines when needed and implement minimums to reduce waste.

On top of visiting our suppliers, we also ask them to sign and agree to our Code of Conduct – which is based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and our own company values.

The materials we use are also sustainable. There are many that want all synthetics to be banned – and we love this vision; but given that only 9% of all plastic bottles ever made have been recycled, and that there is increasing pressure on raw natural resources, we have chosen to prioritise materials that are already in circulation.

But it’s not just our materials and supply chain that make our socks better for the planet. We are striving to be sustainable throughout. That’s why all of our packaging is made from recycled materials and is recyclable, we bank with a local B Corp and not a big corporation and create our socks as collections – not pairs.

We also know that our responsibility doesn’t end once our products are shipped. That’s why we are using profits to support organisations working to reduce global waste and are donating samples and ‘seconds’ to shelters and children’s centers.

We want to have a positive effect on the planet and people, which is why Teddy Locks socks are both eco-friendly and sustainable.

There are wool socks that keep us warm, bright socks that make us happy and mismatched socks that save the planet.

And because at Teddy Locks we believe there are no rules when it comes to good sock game (and we love a good sock game) we design our collections so that there’s a combination for every occasion, personality and style.

‘Hosiery consisting of a cloth covering for the foot; worn inside the shoe.’

But socks are so much more than just cloth, inside a shoe.

Socks have purpose.

They are for Sunday nights on the sofa, meaning business in business meetings and dinner date sentiments.

There are wool socks that keep us warm, bright socks that make us happy and mismatched socks that save the planet.

And because at Teddy Locks we believe there are no rules when it comes to good sock game (and we love a good sock game) we design our collections so that there’s a combination for every occasion, personality and style.

So, socks are great! But, what is it that makes a great sock...

The top of the sock is known as the welt. This is the key piece of sock anatomy that works to keep your socks up. A great welt can stop that annoying slipping and keep your lower legs looking on fleek. That’s why at Teddy Locks our socks have specially engineered stay-up welts.

Next is the leg of the sock. This is the bit that you can usually see. It’s the part that should perfectly compliment your shoes, suit or style, but also requires the perfect amount of stretch. Luckily Teddy Locks has that covered with perfectly blended yarns and designs to suit every situation.

Then down to the foot, where you have the all-important heel and toe. Often overlooked, these are the parts of the sock that get worn through first and can cause blisters. That’s where our fancy Italian machinery comes in to play. Our machines knit all of our Teddy Locks socks with hand-linked toe seams – meaning there are no toe seams. That’s no lump of thread rubbing on the top of your toes. They also have a super high needle count, which means they knit more stitches per square inch than your other socks. And more stitches mean extra strength and less holes!

These fancy, super high-needle count, Italian machines also mean that we can add more detail in to our designs and produce socks with better clarity. And let’s be honest, without great designs you may as well have a draw full of black socks.

Last but not least, every sock has a sole. But Teddy Locks’ socks also have soul. They are curated right down to the final stitch and signed off with our Teddy Locks bottoms. Because no sole is ever alone with our coordinated collections.

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https://teddylocks.com/blogs/story/whats-with-the-name2019-08-13T11:06:00-04:002019-08-13T11:07:32-04:00What's with the name?Samantha TollworthyWhen the brand was launched, the founder, a brit, was living in the USA. Wanting to produce the socks on US soil - to help keep a low carbon footprint, ensure high ethical standards and guarantee the highest quality - she also wanted to make sure some of her British roots were incorporated in to the brand. And so, Sam looked for British influence to help her name the company.

Our names are our identities, everybody has one. We respond to them, we share them, we might like or loath them.

To learn more about a given name you can dive in to what is known as onomastics – the study of names. Reaching into linguistics, sociology, and anthropology it can uncover the history and origins of a name. Because by learning where a name comes from there’s the possibility of a deeper understanding and a greater appreciation of that name.

So, why Teddy Locks?

When the brand was launched, the founder, a brit, was living in the USA. Wanting to produce the socks on US soil - to help keep a low carbon footprint, ensure high ethical standards and guarantee the highest quality - she also wanted to make sure some of her British roots were incorporated in to the brand. And so, Sam looked for British influence to help her name the company.

While brainstorming, she considered the places she had visited and the colloquialisms she used. She was searching for something modern and fresh, classic but not stuffy. Then while reminiscing about her time living in London, she recalled the whispers of riddles ... in Cockney Rhyming Slang.

Rhyming slang is a local dialect based on rhyme, thought to have originally been used by traders, hawkers and thieves in the East End of London during the first half of the 19th Century. Some common examples include:

Apple and Pears - Stairs

Dog and Bone - Phone

Bubble Bath - Laugh

Thanks to the media (think Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) and free movement this tongue is still in use today and now recognized all across the British Isles and beyond.

And it was within this unique tongue that Sam would discover that Teddington Lock, although a beautiful spot on the River Thames, is also Cockney Rhyming Slang for sock.

And so, just like that - Teddy Locks was born.

To further broaden your slang skills you may like to try and crack this riddle:

The other day’s a-dawning, a cut and carried fella was feasting on a borrow and beg at the local Colonel Gadaffi. He was telling a weep and wail about his pesky dustbin lids. At a gay and hearty down the local light and dark they’d bashed over the give and take. Apparently, he threw a right wobbly and headed right to the nearest rub a dub where he knocked back a pimple and blotch. But when he stumbled back to his gates of Rome, his trouble and strife was waiting for him. And she weren’t best pleased, because he was completely scotch mist and had blown all their bloody bees and honey.

Translated, this story goes something like this:

The other morning a marriedman was eating an egg at the local café. He was telling a tale about his pesky kids. At a party at the local parkthey’d knocked over the cake. Apparently, he’d gotten really mad and headed to the nearest pub for a scotch. But when he stumbled back home his wife was waiting for him. And she wasn’t very happy with him, because he was pissed (drunk) and had spent all of their money.

Perhaps surprisingly, it is the fashion industry that is often quoted as being the 2nd most polluting industry in the world. It is a resource and energy intensive sector that relies upon toxic chemicals, exploitation and overconsumption.

But what we wear can be used to send a message about the values we stand for. So, at Teddy Locks we are providing cleaner alternatives that can help us all lower our footprint.

Sustainability is our only option if we are to guarantee the future of our planet.

It sounds dramatic, but it is the reality.

Experts predict that we have just 12 years to prevent irreversible damage caused by climate change, also known as global warming.

Industry, and each of our personal actions all contribute to this warming, and therefore it is each of our responsibilities to help slow it down.

Perhaps surprisingly, it is the fashion industry that is often quoted as being the 2nd most polluting industry in the world. It is a resource and energy intensive sector that relies upon toxic chemicals, exploitation and overconsumption.

But what we wear can be used to send a message about the values we stand for. So, at Teddy Locks we are providing cleaner alternatives that can help us all lower our footprint.

Not only does wearing slow, clean, ethical fashion help share the sustainability message - it supports better practices which protect and prevent further damage being done to our vital ecosystems.

But why is fashion so polluting?

There are three main factors in how the clothes we buy impact our planet

- how it is made, how much is made and how long it lasts.

How it is made:

There are two main groups of fibres that go in to making yarn and fabric. These are natural fibres – like cotton, wool, and silk, and synthetic fibres – like polyester, nylon and elastane. And making either of these types of fibres comes with its own set of problems.

For natural fibres land first needs to be cleared for crops to grow or for animals to roam, while synthetic fibres often need oil to be extracted from the earth. Both can contribute to habitat destruction, biodiversity loss and a decline in soil quality.

After set-up, production begins. Fibre production is resource heavy, requiring thousands of gallons of water, fertilisers, pesticides and fossil fuels.

Once the yarn is produced it must be dyed. In many dye-houses waste water isn’t treated, meaning that toxic chemicals get released in to vital waterways. Local communities often rely upon these waterways for food, water and bathing but experience declining food availability and increasing sickness due to textile pollutants.

Once dried, yarns are woven into fabric for cut and sew garments. And most clothing patterns produce large volumes of off cuts – textile waste that is rarely recycled and commonly ends up in landfill.

The processes in producing a single garment are labor and resource intensive, but large scale devastation is being caused because of the masses of garments being produced.

How much is made:

It is estimated that 80 billion new pieces of clothing are consumed every single year!! Yet there are only around 7 billion people on the planet.

Instead of stores following historical spring/summer and fall/winter seasons many companies are now having 5 seasons or releasing new items every week.

In fact, so much clothing is being produced that brands are actually burning the stock they have been unable to sell.

How long it lasts:

But it is not just the number of items we are buying, it is also how we care for the ones we have. Fundamentally we wash them too often, wear them too little, and toss them too soon.

Laundering our items actually damages the integrity of them. Microfibres are released from all garments each time they are washed (meaning they gradually get thinner and less durable), the detergents we use can contain polluting chemicals and our driers are energy intensive.

But many garments are never worn more than just a few times. Instead, because they are sold at the lowest possible prices they are considered disposable.

While some consumers donate their 'used' items to local charities much of the clothing no-longer desired is simply thrown away. Thrift stores taking in these items work hard to recycle or sell the items coming in, but they cannot sell them fast enough. Instead, much of it ends up being shipped overseas, where markets are now flooded with second hand clothing, that nobody wants.

So what can we do?

It is hard to consider the footprint of each of our day to day decisions when we don’t directly witness the consequences they can have, but small changes in our habits can have big impacts.

Only purchase garments made from organic and recycled materials.

Choose items that have been made from zero waste patterns or with non-toxic dyes.

For the next ten years I got to travel all over the world, explore parts of the planet I could never have dreamed of, and work with people from all walks of life. I made shows for the BBC, Discovery Channel, National Geographic and Animal Planet.

But things weren’t always as I’d hoped.

I realised the powers of story-telling were being manipulated and that a different story needed to be told.

I have always loved nature and the outdoors. But when I was 11 years old I got to visit Sea World and discovered my calling - I was destined to work with killer whales (there was so much I still needed to learn at 11!) Then my dad informed me that in order to do that I would need to become a Marine Biologist. So, there it was, decision made, I was going to become a marine biologist… and well, that is exactly what I did - ten years later I graduated with a BSc in Marine Biology.

At this point I had been a part of some amazing scientific research projects. I had spent almost three months surveying reefs in Mexico and later coral reefs in Sulawesi, but despite the thrill of being underwater and immersed in such an unknown world I knew that I didn’t want to stay in just one place. Instead, there was another career I wanted to pursue - and that was natural history television production.

This was exactly as hard as I had anticipated. Sir David Attenborough had (and still does) inspired minds all across the globe and the competition was rife. But I was ready to get my figurative and literal foot in the door. Starting any career in television is not easy, as a runner and production assistant I was constantly moving cities, taking every opportunity I could wrangle, living with friends, sleeping on floors and trying to get as much experience as I could. It was after almost two years of grasping at the rails that I got the break I was dreaming of. I was offered a role as a researcher at the BBC’s Natural History Unit. (Huge thanks to Lucinda Axelsson for that gig!)

But things weren’t always as I’d hoped. While some broadcasters were finally letting teams show the Behind the Scenes truths of life on earth, many were still just seeking ratings – by dramatizing or avoiding reality. They couldn’t see the opportunity to reach large audiences by being honest, like Our Planet has. But it was the last show that I produced that was the tipping point for me. I hoped the show would speak of the wonder of sharks, emphasise the abilities these fish have, and leave the viewer wanting to protect them – but instead the story line was predictable, with fast and furious imagery to deliver the message that sharks were ultimately menaces we should all fear.

I realised the powers of story-telling were being manipulated and that a different story needed to be told.

The true story – that our planet needs protecting and that if our actions continue, by 2050 the world's stocks of seafood will have collapsed,at least 570 citiesand some 800 million people will be exposed to rising seas and storm surges (more than 90 US coastal cities are already experiencing chronic flooding) and 2,890,000 square kilometers — an area the size of India — of tropical forest will be lost due to deforestation.

I had been sharing these facts for years, refusing straws and hoarding metal forks at my desk. But habits around me weren’t changing (I am not yet fully zero waste but I do believe that every positive change makes a difference). Every day millions of people in Manhattan were picking up lunch or a coffee to go, and the piles of waste were over flowing from every trash can. It seemed we were all too reliant on convenience to make a little extra effort and consider our own individual impacts.

It was at this point I realized that as creatures of habit we simply needed the products we were already buying to just be better. And this was when I decided I was going to make a sock company – a sustainable one, with socks better than any other, that are too good to refuse, and that would in turn force other brands to change their production methods.

Socks may seem a strange place to start but what better place to start than with the ‘basics’. They are an essential clothing item for most of us but yet the purchase barely considered.

In fact, around 25 million pairs of socks were made last year – requiring approximately 700 metric tonnes of textiles. And, given that just 2.2lbs/1kg of conventional cotton requires more than 20,000 liters of water – you could be looking at 14,204,545,500 liters of water to meet the demand … It was clear that I needed to lower the footprint of all the world’s socks.